


In Case You Haven't Heard

by MarWrites



Category: Descendants (Disney Movies)
Genre: Bad Things Happen To Carlos, Carlos de Vil is Left on the Isle of the Lost, Everyone Is Gay, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Inspired by Steven Universe, M/M, Multi, Not anti anyone, Nothing explicit, Past Rape/Non-con, Spinel! Carlos, but definitely there, except cruella, mentions of child prostitution, no beta we die like men, over-using italics, she can rot in a bear trap
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-27
Updated: 2021-01-18
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:42:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,472
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28368597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MarWrites/pseuds/MarWrites
Summary: After a year of hard work, Ben, Mal, Evie, and Jay think their work is done. Problems, however, are rarely so easily resolved. After a year of imprisonment and abuse, Carlos, abandoned and forgotten, narrowly escapes to Auradon. Now, he's back, and he's going to be remembered.
Relationships: Ben & Carlos de Vil, Evie & Carlos de Vil, Evie & Jay & Mal & Carlos de Vil, Evie & Mal (Disney), Jay & Carlos De Vil, Jay/Carlos de Vil
Comments: 7
Kudos: 63





	1. That’s Right, I Heard the Story

**Author's Note:**

> This came to me while I was listening to "Other Friends" 60 times in a row (as you do) and was reminded of the "Carlos gets left behind" trope. I haven't written anything that isn't a research essay in so long, so here's to having some fun, taking what we want, and being wicked!

Ben couldn’t believe that it had been a year since that day he had stood where he was now, looking out at the Isle as he told his parents about his plan to rescue three kids born to the Isle. The three kids that now stood next to him, three of his closest friends. 

“I can’t believe it,” Evie said. “We actually did it.”

Ben smiled. “The last boat came over today. We have rescued every kid from the Isle, and given them all new chances. And it’s all thanks to you. Evie, Jay, Mal, you aren’t just good. You’re some of the best people Auradon has ever had.”

Mal squeezed his hand. “None of this could have happened without you, Ben.”

“I just wish it hadn’t taken so long,” Evie sighed. “ And, what if more kids are born? How will we know? We haven’t even been on the Isle in so long…”

“Hey,” Jane said from her left. “The kids are safe, and that’s what matters. We can deal with everything else later.”

Lonnie leaned over from where she stood next to Jane. “Jane’s right, E. You can afford to take a day just to be proud of how much you’ve accomplished. No one is waiting now, and there’s no rush.”

Ben frowned. “Hey, Jay, you’ve been pretty quiet. You good, man?”

“What? Oh, yeah.” Jay blinked. “It’s just… hey, what is that? On the water?”

Lonnie leaned forward, squinting. “It’s coming from the Isle!”

“It’s a boat!” Mal said. “But that’s impossible, we just resealed the barrier.”

“It’s coming closer,” Jane warned. 

Jay looked down to the shore. “It will be here soon.” He ran to the stairs. “Come on!” 

Everyone followed Jay, spiraling down, then running out to the shore. They dodged past statues and students, most of them the new VKs moving their things from the harbor to the dorms. Down the hill and to the shore, a lone figure stood next to a ramshackle raft. 

Ben didn’t recognize him, but he was striking. His hair was ended in pure white, going down to roots as dark as the boy’s eyes. His clothes were in tatters. What must one have once been a full shirt and pants had been reduced to torn shorts and a crop top revealing the boy’s scar-covered chest. Ben’s eyes widened at the exposed ribs, looking unexpectedly grotesque. He remembered Audrey once saying she wished her ribs were showing. Seeing the actual thing was sickening. Then, he met the boy’s gaze. His gaze was captivating. Ben was only shaken at Lonnie’s shout. 

“Get back, he has a knife!” 

Eyes widening, Ben backed up. Mal and Lonnie automatically moved to stand in front of him. 

Then, the boy laughed. “Well, well, well. Let me get a look at the menagerie. This must be Lonnie. You must be Jane. And if it isn’t King Ben, well. Isn’t that just...  _ swell. _ ”

Mal gasped. “It can’t be…”

The boy smirked. “Oh, don’t worry. It’s not. The scared kid you left back on that trash heap died a long time ago. Allow me to introduce myself to your new friends. I’m the one they didn’t want you to know about. But here I am. Good luck pretending your little happily ever after is real once everyone sees just how fake you are.” 

Ben tried to step forward, but Lonnie held him back. “Woah, woah!” Ben said. “This has to be a misunderstanding. In case you haven’t heard, Auradon has freed all the children of the Isle and-”

“Yeah, yeah, I’ve  _ heard. _ ” The boy snarled. “Everyone knows about your little decree. I just love that part, where my mother knew just when to hide me so I couldn’t leave. I love how, thanks to  _ you _ , I could have spent the rest of my life in that miserable little hole, nothing but a miserable little hole for the rest of my miserable little life, just like I have been for the past year.” He looked at Jay, Mal, and Evie. “Thanks for remembering that, by the way.”

The boy walked towards them; Jane flinched back. “Wow, it sure is great to meet the people who replaced me! What did they say about me, huh?” He looked at Ben, Jane, and Lonnie. “What did they say about me,  _ King  _ Ben? Did they tell you about how they promised to come back for me, or about how they knew I had two weeks before I was tied down to become a full time human glory hole?

“Say, what have you been doing all this time anyway? I bet you’ve been having a great time, being  _ good,  _ playing  _ games.  _ Sure is nice to meet my replacements. 

Ben looked over to Jay, who looked like he’d seen a ghost. “It really is him,” Jay muttered. “But, he can’t be serious!”

“You know him, Jay?” Ben asked. “Can you tell us who he is?”

Suddenly, the stench of old blood was in Ben’s face as the boy stepped up to him. A wave of hurt flashed over the boy’s face, then was quickly replaced by fury. 

“Who am I? WHO AM I? What are you even  _ saying _ ? While these four have been playing their little ‘good’ game, I’m the one they left behind. Hey, I have an idea!” he leaned back from Ben. “Let’s play another game! This time, good luck being distracted by your  _ other friends _ .”

Before Ben could react, the boy ducked under the group. Ben barely caught sight of him sticking something to Jane and Lonnie’s necks before he was gone and Jane and Lonnie sank to the floor. Evie kneeled down next to the fallen girls. “Jane! Lonnie!”

Mal leaned down next to her, checking their pulses. “They’re alive, but out cold. What did he  _ do  _ to them?”

Ben looked around and saw that Jay hadn’t moved, still standing in shock. “Jay!” Ben shouted. “Who  _ was  _ that?”

Jay’s eyes were far away. “I can’t believe it…” he muttered.

Evie stood suddenly. “We don’t have time for this! We need to get Jane and Lonnie to the infirmary!” 

Jay snapped out of his reverie. “We need to go after him!” He turned and started to run, but Ben stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. Jay turned back to him, eyes wide. 

“Jay, who was that?”

Jay looked somewhere between bolting and crying. From behind them, Mal’s voice cracked.

“That was Carlos.”


	2. Drift Away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gil looked at Uma. When she nodded her approval, he took a deep breath. “Well… a while after you left, I heard my dad talking to some of his buddies back at the cabin. They mentioned something about Hell House.” Gil’s lip twisted, unsure. “Yeah, they said that Cruella was selling… tight ass.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Brief tw not mentioned in tags: throwing up is mentioned twice, but doesn't actually happen, and isn't described. Take care of yourself!

“Carlos, you say? I remember him, the runt…” Harry leaned back from the chair he sat on- if you could call it sitting. He was, more accurately,  _ lounging _ . Ben and the others had stumbled upon the pirates sitting outside, blissfully unaware of the chaos down the hill. Or maybe they were aware, and they just didn’t care. Either seemed likely.

“Aye, I’ve seen neither hide nor tail of him in months.”

Jay growled in frustration. “Well, think harder! You have to have heard something. What about Cruella? Think!”

Uma stood from where she was picking her teeth with a dagger that had somehow made it past security. 

“Watch how you talk to my first mate,” she said. “I’d be happy to rearrange your tongue until you learn some respect.” 

She and Jay glared at each other until a voice piped up between them. 

“Hey, I remember hearing something.” Gil looked up at the group with wide eyes. Ben approached him gently. 

“Can you tell us, please?”

Gil looked at Uma. When she nodded her approval, he took a deep breath. “Well… a while after you left, I heard my dad talking to some of his buddies back at the cabin. They mentioned something about Hell House.” Gil’s lip twisted, unsure. “Yeah, they said that Cruella was selling… tight ass.” The last part he said so quietly, Ben wasn’t sure he heard him right. Jay confirmed it, though, when he shot up.

“She  _ what? _ ”

“Hey, Jay! Come on, calm down.” Ben went to place a hand on his friend’s shoulder, but Jay whirled around. Instead of angry, he looked heatbroken. 

“Calm down? How can I- Ben, you saw how he looked.” Evie stepped forward and placed a hand on Jay’s arm. 

“What did you see, Jay?”

“He- the blood, there was blood on his legs. This is our fault.  _ Fuck _ , this is all our fault.” 

Ben frowned. “Hey, I’m sure that isn’t true.” 

Mal looked down. “No. No, it is. We-we thought, when he wasn’t on the ships…”

Evie squeezed her hand. “We thought he was dead.”

Ben was shocked. “Why would you think that?”

Uma snorted. “Oh, you mean about his little situation? Yeah, I remember that.”

Mal’s eyes flared. “Then why didn’t you say something earlier?” Uma just shrugged.

“Hey, now is not the time to argue!” Ben frowned. “I’m still not sure just who this guy is, but if he’s dangerous to Auradon, I need to know. Uma, please. What do you know about this situation?”

“Oh, I’m sure one of his pals here could tell you more. All I heard was that Cruella was going to kill him. I don’t know any more than that.”

“Two weeks.” Evie said. “She was going away for two weeks,and she said when she got back, she would kill him. I thought- Cruella was crazy, Ben, you have to understand. She was threatening him all the time, but when he told us about this, he actually seemed scared. He had only survived so far because we were there to patch him up after she was done. We thought we could save him before the time was up, but your coronation was on the day she was going to return, and with the wand and Maleficent, it was- we-” Evie wiped a tear. From beside her, Mal looked devastated, and Jay growled. 

“Who cares what happened before? He’s here now, and I need to find him!”

“Jay!” Mal shouted. “We will! Okay, think. We know he’s probably somewhere on school grounds. We’ll split up. Ben, you and Jay look in the forest. Evie and I, we’ll-” she cut off suddenly, eyes wide as she looked at the castle. 

Jay’s expression shifted to one of concern. “Mal, what is it?”

Mal pointed to the castle. “Do you see that?”

Ben looked where she pointed, and he gasped. The usually pristine windows of the castle were clouded in a grey fog. He looked up the the second floor, the third floor- all misted in grey. Ben heard a crash, then Chad burst through the front door, coughing. 

“Ben! What’s happening? The fog, people are just falling asleep everywhere!”

Ben paled. From behind him, Mal cursed. “It has to be him, he must have gotten into the vents. Jay, Ben, we need to find him. He can fix this.” 

“Well then, let’s go!” Evie said. “He won’t be in the castle any more, so Mal, you and I can check the grounds. Jay, you and Ben check the woods.” She turned to leave, then noticed Uma following her. “Where are you going?

Uma scoffed. “What, you think we’re staying here while pretty boy kills everyone? No. You’re too soft to find him on your own. We’re coming.” 

Jay made a frustrated noise. “We don’t have time for this. Do whatever! Ben, come on.” He walked off, and Ben jogged to catch up.

* * *

The woods were beautiful, but Ben’s mind was too preoccupied to enjoy it. “Hey, Jay.” 

Jay slowed down. “Can I ask you something?” Ben asked tentatively.

Jay tried a small smile. “Of course, man. I- I don’t mean to seem mad or anything, I just, I’m really worried.” His shoulders sagged.

“Of course!” That’s fine!” Ben said. “I just… why? Who is Carlos to you?”

Jay was silent for a moment, then they walked on. “Him, Mal, Evie, and I were… well, I guess you’d call it a gang. Now I know it was more like a family. We took care of each other. Carlos, he was small, and that meant he had a target on his back. We’d look after him, and he would help us. Damn, he was the smartest person on that rock. Always inventing things, even with that hag after him.” 

Ben nodded. “You mean Cruella. Was she his mother?”

Jay’s mouth twisted. “More like his slave driver.” He fell silent, lost in thought. Ben furrowed his brow. “We need to find him, the sooner the better.” 

Jay’s head popped up. “The forest is big, but we can cover it. I’ll check the East end, you check the west.”

Jay nodded, then bounced into a jog. Ben turned the other way, and went deeper into the wood. 

* * *

Half an hour later, Ben was ready to turn around and find the others. He thought he’d found Carlos twice, the first time when he heard bushes rustling, the second time when a twig cracked. The first was a deer, and the second was just Ben himself not understanding how echoes worked.

A whimper and a hiss from the left brought Ben to his senses. He tentatively stepped into the brush, expecting to see another deer in the clearing. Instead, there was the white, black, and red lump huddled on the ground.

“Carlos?”

Carlos’ head shot up, face quickly wincing in pain before settling into wide-eyed alertness. “What do you want with me?”

It was then that Ben noticed the trail of blood leading towards the boy. “Ca- oh my gosh! Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, just stay back!” Carlos sounded more terrified than threatening. Ben held his hands in front of him. 

“Hey, hey, it’s okay. I just want to help you.”

Carlos scoffed. “Sure. Help me in prison. Still, that would be better than where I came from, so I’ll consider it. Bye.” He shakily got to his feet, took one step, then fell back to the ground with a cry of pain. 

“Carlos!” Ben rushed to the boy on the ground, but stopped when he flinched and curled in on himself. Ben slowly sat down.

All was quiet for a few moments, until Carlos peeked up at Ben from under his shoulder. He frowned. “What are you doing.” 

“Just waiting to see if I can help you. Here,” Ben grabbed a handkerchief from his pocket. “Your leg looks pretty bad. Can I please help you?”

Carlos’ eyes darted back and forth as if looking for an out. Finally, he sagged to the ground, uncurling. “Fine.”

It was then that Ben got a real look at the wound on his leg. What looked to be five long scratches tore from his thigh to his calf, trails of red half covered in dark scabs and half still openly bleeding. Dirt and splinters packed into the crevices. Up from the scratches, the torn shorts were dark between his legs, dried blood chafing the inside of his thighs. 

Ben struggled not to gag. He’d assumed wounds like this would be clean and romantic, like they were in movies. Instead, they were just gross. 

“Let’s, uh…” Ben fiddled with his handkerchief. “Here, how about I just, uh, take out some splinters.” 

Carlos nodded minutely. His eyes were cast downward, his expression one of giving up. 

Ben carefully approached him, then set to picking out splinters. “I’m sorry, but I have to ask,” he said slowly. “What did you do to Jane and Lonnie? And what was in the vents?”

Carlos sighed, not even flinching at the sting of the splinters. “I’m… it’s a mild narcotic. It will wear off in an hour. I- I had to do it! I just needed enough time to run. Your friends will be fine.”

Ben nodded. “So, why didn’t you get on the boat with everyone else?”

Carlos turned his face down to the ground where he lay. “Didn’t you hear me earlier? I couldn’t. My mother heard about the boats and locked me in the basement. She wouldn’t give up her main source of income that easily.” 

Ben hesitated. “What do you mean, income?”

Carlos was silent for a moment, his muscles tense. In a tight voice, he said “Don’t ask questions you’re not ready to hear the answers to.” 

Ben set his jaw. He didn’t know much about the world, but meeting Evie, Jay, and Mal had changed him. “Try me.”

Carlos looked dubious, but he spoke. “Before- before  _ they  _ left, Cruella went on… well, I guess you’d call it a vacation. She said when she got back, she was going to kill me. Said I just wasn’t worth the effort any more. As if she ever made any effort for me. And it would have been fine! That kind of thing happened all the time, and I always had the others to help me after. But they left. They left me, and they said to wait for them. So I waited. By the time her knife was to my throat,” he held up the dagger Ben forgot he had, “it was too late. I couldn’t wait anymore. I should have just let her do it. But I… I was a fool. I just, I just wanted to see him one more time. I thought, if I just waited a little longer…”

He was silent for a moment. Ben decided to carefully prod. “How did you survive?”

Carlos looked into his eyes for the first time since Ben had arrived. “The only way I could stay alive was to offer her something more than I already had. The cleaning and the stealing, being her punching bag, being her  _ dog _ ,” he spat, “just wasn’t enough. So, I gave her the idea to… sell me.”

Ben gaped. “You don’t mean-”

“Virginity was a high commodity on the Isle, you highness. The only reason I still had it was that Jay, Mal, and Evie were there to protect me. But they left. They left me, and I waited, but it was only a matter of time. I’d eventually get worn down and taken by some fucker in an alley, so I used all that I had left. I wish I just let her kill me.”

“Don’t say that!” Ben cried. 

Suddenly, the fire was back in Carlos’ eyes. 

“Oh, what. Did I offend you, your kinginess? Does it offend you how even then, I knew it was only a matter of time, and wanted death to just come more easily? I knew that eventually Cruella would forget me for a little too long and I’d starve, or Gaston would finally fuck me too hard and crush me, or I’d finally find a way to do it myself. All I can hope for is to just bleed out somewhere nice. That’s why I came here. I don’t have anything left to live for, or anything left to give. Don’t flatter yourself into thinking otherwise.”

Ben set his jaw. He remembered Audrey saying something similar years ago, and he remembered that logic didn’t come into play in those moments. “How did you escape?” he asked. 

Carlos looked surprised. “What?”

“How did you escape?”

“How did… fine. Why am I telling you all of this? I- fine. Jafar came in for his usual ‘session’ with me, but I convinced Cruella to let him pay extra to be able to use a knife. That perv was into that. As soon as he was  _ distracted  _ enough, I grabbed it, sliced him, grabbed my shit from upstairs, and ran for it.”

Ben wanted to throw up, but he was also impressed. “How did you get past Cruella? And where did you get the raft?” 

Carlos gave a tiny self satisfied smirk, like a kid counting their stolen candy. “She got me,” he flicked his eyes towards the scratches Ben had now abandoned in favor of listening to Carlos’ story, “but I was fast. I built the raft once I got to the docks. It took me fifteen minutes.”

Ben’s need to puke receded a little in how impressed he was. “That’s- that’s amazing! That must take so much skill, I- Carlos, if you used those engineering skills for good, think of how many people you could help!”

Ben winced has Carlos’ expression darkened. He remembered Mal telling him he could get too enthusiastic with his “goodness”.  _ Take it slow _ , he chided himself. 

“Who cares?” Carlos said tightly. “How could that be worth all the pain I’d have to take to get there?” 

“I care!” Ben cried. “And pain never lasts forever, please trust me! You can feel good again, Carlos, I promise. Just the little things. Fresh water, good food- they’re small, but don’t you want to experience that again?” 

Carlos looked up at him. “I don’t-”

“Ben!” Jay bust into the clearing. “There you are! I thought I found him, but it was just-” he noticed the boy next to Ben and fell silent. From beside him, Carlos gathered himself up onto his elbows. 

“Hey, Jay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: Jay takes Carlos to the castle, Evie cleans his wounds, and some conversations are had *eyebrow wiggle*.


	3. Lives on the Line

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We get some reunions, feelings, and- Carlos, drop that!

In all honesty, Ben had been expecting a very dramatic reunion between Jay and Carlos. He tensed, waiting for the shouting, flinching, crying, accusations, apologies, etc. When none of it came, he looked at the two…

...and immediately wanted to look away. There was no speaking, not even any touching, but the intensity of their expressions as they looked at each other seemed to be an equal level of intimacy. Ben had seen his parents have conversations with their eyes many times. Those mostly consisted of scolding and inside jokes and concern. The conversation he witnessed now was entirely incomprehensible to him. 

Another moment passed, then Jay began to move. Ben straightened, expecting Carlos to flinch again and Ben to have to stop them, but instead, Jay knelt gently to the ground. They looked at each other for another moment, then carefully, ever gently, Jay slid his hands under Carlos and slowly lifted him. 

Ben was too shocked to follow them until they were nearly out of sight. Not sure of what else to do, he scrambled to his feet and followed. 

The walk back to the castle was silent.

When they returned, Ben noticed that the grey smoke had cleared, and students were once again moving about. Back where they had initially parted, Uma, Mal, Harry, Evie, and Gil were arguing with each other. 

“I don’t care, we need to keep looking!” Mal glared at Harry. 

“That’s awfully  _ nice  _ of ye,” Harry shot back, “only, if a man doennae want to be found, we best respect his wishes!”

Mal glowered back at him and opened her mouth to retort when Evie nudged her in the side. “Mal.” She looked in shock at Jay and Carlos. When Mal followed Evie’s gaze, all of her anger immediately fled. 

“Carlos!” She made to rush forward, but Evie held her back. Hand in hand, they slowly walked towards them. It was then that Ben finally noticed that Carlos was asleep. 

Another eye conversation was had, and this time Ben was somewhat able to follow it. 

_ Let me check on him _ , Evie’s eyes said. 

_ Let him sleep _ , Jay looked at her.

_ Let’s just get him inside _ , Mal glared. 

Ben noticed that she had a point. People were beginning to stare. “We can go to my chambers,” he said quietly. Jay looked at him, then nodded. 

“Well, I dinnae ken what’s wrong with pretty boy,” Harry suddenly interjected, making Ben jump, “but I’ve got better things to do than be caught up in all yer emotions. Captain?” He turned to Uma, who nodded.

“Don’t mess up any more than you already have,” she huffed, then turned to leave. Gil followed, and Harry made an ‘I’m watching you’ sign before jogging to catch up.

Thankfully, the royal castle was near school grounds, and underground tunnels connected the two. They followed elevators and corridors until Ben led them into his lounge. 

“I’ll get the med kit,” he offered as Jay gently set Carlos down on a chaise. Ben rushed to the bathroom to grab the kit, and when he returned, the others had already taken Carlos’ shirt off. 

It was all Ben could do to not run out of the room. The marks of abuse did not hold the tragic beauty that Ben had subconsciously expected them to. Distinct round scars with puffy edges and dark scabs in the center dotted the boy’s arms. Ben guessed they were cigarette burns. On his stomach… if the human was taken out of the picture and the scars on the boy’s stomach were put on a canvas, Ben would have assumed the large swirling red marks were a grotesque watercolor. Dark spots littering Carlos’ chest reminded Ben of his own acne scars, but these were larger, darker, and showed a terrifying history. 

Ben handed Evie the kit, then went to sit down. 

Evie worked with the trained efficiency one would expect of an experienced EMT. She had Mal and Ben going back and forth from the bathroom for bowls of clean water and towels, while Jay sat at Carlos’ head and held him steady. Ben was grateful for something to do. He was in the bathroom wringing out a towel when he heard a shout coming from the other room. 

“No!” came a heartbreaking shriek. 

Ben rushed back to see Carlos curled in on himself, hands over his neck and shaking while the others stood back. 

“Hey, it’s okay, it’s us…” Evie crooned. Tension mounted in the air while they waited for a response. When nothing happened, Jay slowly moved around the chaise, crouching down to try to meet Carlos’ gaze. All was still. Then, a small voice asked,

“Can I have my shirt?”

Ben started. “What?” he asked intelligently, while Jay immediately sprang into action. He passed Carlos his shirt, then kneeled beside the bed as Carlos slowly sat up. 

“Can I have some water?” he asked. Evie ran to get some. When she returned and handed it to him, he fished in the small front pocket of his shirt and pulled out a white pill. Mal gasped and dived forward.

“No!” she cried, but it was already too late. He swallowed just as Mal swatted the glass from his hand. It bounced from the bed, spilling onto the floor as Carlos collapsed against Jay. “Evie!” 

Evie reached to take the unconscious boy’s pulse. “His heart is still going” she said, “but we still need to get him to a hospital.”

Jay cursed. “That’s what we should have done in the first place! Come on!” He gathered Carlos up in his arms and stood. Just as Jay began to walk forward, Carlos’ eyes blinked open. 

“He’s awake!” Jay said, carefully lowering him back to the bed. “Ben, call an ambulance!” 

“Jay?” Carlos said. He looked like a different person. Gone were the expressions of defeat, heartbreak, and rage. Now he just looked confused. “Jay, what’s going on?”

“Hold on C, we’re gonna get you some help. It’s going to be okay.”

“Help? Why would I need help?” Carlos stood up, Jay instantly extending an arm to catch him should he fall. When he remained standing, Carlos looked down at his chest. “Oh,” he muttered. “How did that happen?” 

“You mean you don’t remember?” Mal came to look Carlos in the eye. “Carlos, what was in that pill?”

“Pill?” His head lolled to the side like a confused puppy. It would have been adorable if it wasn’t so unsettling. “What pill?” 

“You mean you don’t remember?” Mal grabbed his shoulders. “Carlos, what’s going on?” 

“Hey!” Jay touched Mal’s wrist. Even in such a tense moment, he was still gentle. “He’s been through a lot, let’s just… let’s just chill out for a sec.” 

Through the tense air, Evie gasped. “You guys… I think that was a memory pill.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos give Carlos a big warm hug and comments slap Cruella in the face.


	4. Take Me Home, Let Me Drift Away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Carlos' memories of the past year gone, everyone scrambles to help him, only... would it just be kinder to let him forget?

Jay, Mal, Evie, and Ben all stared at Carlos where he sat on the sofa. He stared back with wide eyes. Ben had no idea what to do- maybe cry, but that didn’t seem like it would be useful. 

“Are you sure?” Evie pressed again. She seemed to be ready for Carlos to admit this was all a joke, even though she herself had recognized the magic memory pill from her mother’s forbidden collection. They reasoned he must have nabbed it during his escape from the Isle. 

“I’m really sorry,” Carlos winced. “We were at the hideout, then… I really don’t remember!” Evie tutted and reached out to comfort him when he began to shake. “Where are we? Who is he?” his eyes flickered to Ben. “Please, I don’t know what happened. You can do anything you want to me, just let my friends go!” Jay gave a strangled breath, then stormed to the door. 

“Jay!” Ben ran after him, gingerly closing the door behind him. Jay whirled around to face him from where he paced down the corridor. 

“I gave up,” he choked out. “The coronation happened, and I knew that the time was up, but it was too painful. I couldn’t face it, and I gave up and tried to forget him like a _coward_. All this time he’s been… Aagh!” Jay growled. 

“Hey!” Ben came over to grab one of Jay’s clenched fists. “Hey, man. Now isn’t the time to make this about yourself. Whatever happened in the past can’t matter as much as helping Carlos right now does. This isn’t about you, this is about him. If you need to step back, I’ll support you, but in there, your friend is hurting and he needs you.” Jay’s eyes were covered by his hair, and Ben worried he went too far. Just when he was about to apologize, Jay nodded. 

“Yeah,” he whispered. He looked up at Ben with steely resolve. “You’re right. This is about Carlos, not my own guilt. Thanks, man. I needed that.” Ben grasped his hand briefly, and together they walked back into the room. 

* * *

In the end, they decided to take Carlos to Fairy Godmother for help. Ben lent Carlos some clean clothes, which were far too big on him, but Evie was able to roll and tuck them into wearability. They gave Carlos a protein bar and water bottle. Jay and Evie watched the entire time to make sure he took small bites and kept up on the water. Carlos rolled his eyes. His earlier anger might have fled, but the sass remained. “Good thing you’re here to stop me from the statistically largest killer of Carloses across the world: eating too much.” Once he took a bite, though, his ire was put aside in favor of savoring the bar. Ben belatedly realized that he should have checked to make sure Carlos didn’t have a peanut allergy before giving him the bar. When he asked, Carlos snorted. “Yeah, sure, Good one.” When Ben just stared, he looked incredulous. “Wait, you’re serious?” He started to laugh. 

“Food was different on the Isle, Ben,” Evie explained. “It was hard enough to get food that wasn't rotten or covered in mold. We couldn’t afford to worry about anything other than surviving.”

Ben didn’t ask any more questions. 

Ben was also surprised by how casually accepting Carlos was about his amnesia. All of the movies and books Ben could remember showed people with specific memory loss panicking or refusing to believe it. Carlos just… adapted. Once he figured out that Jay, Evie, and especially Mal trusted Ben and felt safe, he loosened. 

“Do you have any idea what happened to me?” He asked suddenly. 

Everyone froze. Mal impressed Jay once more with her bravery when she alone kept cool and stepped forward. “You were on the Isle, and… It isn’t good, Carlos. Are you sure you want to know?”

Carlos’ face twisted. “You… you don’t have to tell me, for now. I want to try to remember on my own, but if you can’t, I need you to promise to tell me everything. Will you do that?” He stared intensely at Mal. She nodded, and her green eyes flared. The Fae took promises seriously.

Ben was astounded by their maturity. Carlos must have been at least two years younger than him, but in that moment, Carlos seemed to have the wisdom of a person ten times his age. 

Or maybe just the wisdom of having lived through whatever Carlos had lived through. Ben had met a lot of old people, and many of them were more prejudiced than wise. 

On the way back to the school, Carlos was momentarily stunned by the realization that they were in Auradon. As soon as he saw the limo Ben had called to escort them to the school, though, his quiet amazement was quickly traded in for questions. 

“Is that a touch screen? What’s it connected to?” “Does this run on gasoline, or has the technology surpassed that?” “Does this have automatic transmission?” “What’s the max RPM?” Jay looked at Carlos with fondness and guilt. Ben was just confused. When he looked at Mal for an explanation, she smiled. “Auradonians throw away a lot of car manuals.” 

The driver did his best to answer Carlos’ questions until they pulled up to campus and the boy fell silent. “Hey, C,” Jay nudged him. “It’s okay, we trust them.” 

Mal gave him what Ben could only describe as an encouraging smirk. “Besides, we’re Isle kids. What are these prissy prep kids going to do to us?” Carlos didn’t seem reassured, but he got out of the car anyway. Ben pretended to not notice the white fist that clenched at Jay’s jacket the whole way up to Fairy Godmother’s office. 

When they reached her door, Carlos pulled back. “Are you okay?” Evie asked softly. Carlos looked down. “I’m going to get my memory back,” he pledged. “If you say she can help me, then… I’ll talk to her.” 

“We’ll be with you every step of the way,” Mal reminded him. Jay nodded. With that, Ben opened the door, and they filed into the office. 

They didn’t waste any time. After they explained the situation to her, Ben was worried she’d go ‘oh, you poor boy” and try to coddle Carlos. Thankfully, Fairy Godmother had improved on talking to Isle Kids exponentially since last year. She had learned to be less condescending, and to be candid with her words. She had also learned that non-threatening to Auradon kids was different than non-threatening to Isle kids. He was relieved when she rose slowly to get a book from her shelf. 

“Oh my, I haven’t opened this in a long time. Let’s see here…” she thumbed through the chapters. “Here we are!” She sat back down. “Mr. De Vil, that memory pill you took was potent.” She put on her scolding expression, but stopped herself when Ben shook his head frantically from behind Carlos. Mal noticed and poked him. “But, ah, the past is in the past! Thankfully, there is hope. I think we can all learn from the story of The Snow Queen. A long time ago” ( _here we go_ , Ben signed internally when Fairy Godmother assumed her teaching voice) “there were two children named Gerda and Kai. The two would always play together in the window-box garden, which grew vegetables and roses. Well, long story short, Gerda had to go on a quest to save Kai, and on that quest she was taken in by a sorceress in The Garden of Eternal Summer. It’s a lovely place, by the way, we offer a bi-yearly J-term there. Anyways, the sorceress wanted Gerda to stay in the garden forever, so she spelled Gerda to forget Kai and removed all of the roses from the garden. She forgot, however, the rose in her hat, and when Gerda saw it, she remembered Kai. This tells us that sometimes an item from the past, such as a rose, can trigger those memories to return.” She beamed. “These stories are still so important to real life, even today! Why, Kai and Gerda’s great grandchildren started school here just last year! I really should introduce you sometime, your highness, Juni and Soren are such lovely children-” Mal cleared her throat. Fairy Godmother started. “But I digress. My dear boy,” she regarded Carlos carefully. “Is there somewhere that you might have been in the time of your memory gap?” 

Jay’s eyes widened. Evie shook her head. Mal cursed. 

“Well, everyone,” Carlos said slowly. 

“Looks like I’m going back to the Isle.”

* * *

“No way.” Mal had been fixing Carlos with her sternest glare for the past… Ben had lost track of the time. He had also lost track of whose side he was on. 

“Have I been here at all since my memory gap? No. I don’t know why, but I’d like to know what I’m mad at before I get mad. I’m doing this.” 

“It’s too dangerous!” Evie looked like she was going to cry. 

“Then we’ll go with him.” Jay had been standing silently to the side since they had begun arguing. 

“We owe it to him to at least help him with this. And besides, do you think that we could actually stop him?” he raised an eyebrow towards Carlos. “You know him as well as I do. We can either make him do it alone, or we can go with and help. If he wants to go, he’ll figure out how to do it either way.” 

“I’m still here, you know.” Carlos looked at Jay. “But yeah, I’m going. I’ve escaped much tighter constraints than anything you have here. I don’t need anyone, but… I wouldn’t say no to some help.” 

Evie placed a hand on Mal’s arm. Mal sighed. “Fine. Ben? Can we take the limo?” 

“Of- of course! When are we going?”

“We?” Carlos looked skeptical. 

“He can handle it, C,” Jay said. Carlos didn’t seem convinced, but he nodded anyway. 

“Then we leave now.”

* * *

‘Now’ turned out to be ‘in half an hour.’ They split up to gather supplies, food, and clothes that didn’t scream “rob me!” quite as loudly. Of course, Ben supposed that now that the kids were off of the Isle, the adults wouldn’t have anyone to do the robbing for them, and they were likely all out of practice. Besides, Ben had made it so thieving wouldn’t be necessary anymore. Ben took inventory of all the original Isle inhabitants, and discovered that many of the ‘villains’, such as Anastasia, Drizella, numerous witches, and quite a few cronies, had done nothing to merit being there besides being unpopular with the reigning royalty at the time. He had given them all citizenship and placed them in reentry programs in Auradon. On the Isle, new, sustainable housing had been built, a fresh water system was put into place, an agricultural exchange was established, and all inhabitants were matched with counselors and social workers to help them re-enter society as soon and as safely as possible. Ben wondered how Carlos managed to not be found by the multitude of social workers, psychiatrists, and counselors who must have been knocking on Cruella De Vil’s door daily. 

Ben put that thought aside for another time. Ben was careful to turn the Isle into a rehabilitation center, not a prison. That meant that nothing was forced on the Isle inhabitants, only made clearly accessible. Ben himself had been there multiple times on official royal business, but this was not official royal business. This was a private, personal mission to help his friends. He put on the old clothes that Jay gave him, pulled up the hood over his hair, and checked a mirror. _Just one last finishing touch_. Ben grabbed some eyeliner from his desk and gave himself a light tightline. Perfect. 

What could he say? Harry Hook had inspired him. 

He met the others in front of the limo. Evie had washed and hastily patched up the clothes Carlos had arrived in, which meant adding more fabric than was on them originally. It certainly solidified the Isle look. Evie, Jay, and Mal had clearly kept their original Isle clothes too. Ben had sudden deja vu to a year ago, when the three had stood in front of that very same vehicle. He never would have guessed that those hurting and defensive kids would change is life and the lives of so many others.

“Ready?” Jay asked. Ben nodded, and one by one, they climbed in.

* * *

Ben felt out of place, sitting on the limo’s luxurious leather seats in Isle clothes. He looked to Jay, Evie, and Mal and wondered just how out of place they must have felt for the first weeks, maybe even months they were in Auradon. He wondered if they still felt that way. If they did, they didn’t show it. Evie leaned her head on Mal’s shoulder, the two of them whispering softly to each other. Jay was looking at Carlos, who was very still. Too still. 

“You good, man?” Ben leaned over to Carlos, who did not seem to acknowledge him. 

“Hey, it’s going to be okay. I know you don’t remember, but the Isle has changed. It’s different now.” 

Carlos didn’t react. He just stared at his lap with wide eyes. Jay squeezed his shoulder, and Carlos flinched, curling in on himself further. Jay and Ben met each other’s eyes. Across from them, Evie and Mal had stopped talking and were looking at Carlos with concern. 

“Maybe this isn’t such a good idea,” Evie said. “Carlos, it’s okay to turn back. We can wait and come back when you feel more ready.” 

Mal nodded. “There’s no rush. I looked at that story Fairy Godmother mentioned, and the boy that the Snow Queen took had kept his memory erased for days before he was rescued. There’s no immediate rush. 

They waited for Carlos’ response, but he remained curled in on himself, nose to his knees. Ben looked to Jay, who nodded. 

Ben leaned up to the driver’s seat. “Excuse me, Ms. Quispe? When you can, would you please turn around and take us back to the castle?”

Ms. Quispe glanced at them in the mirror. “Of course, sir. We cannot turn around on the bridge; I’ll turn when we reach the Isle.” 

“Thank you!” Ben turned back to his friends. “Okay, Carlos? We’ll go back to the castle.” Jay nodded from where he sat, just far enough from Carlos to give him space, but close enough to shield him from whatever threats he feared. 

“Thank you, Ben,” Evie offered. “We’re almost there.” 

Ms. Quispe pulled the limo smoothly onto Isle road, then pulled into one of the few designated parking spots. Suddenly, Carlos sat up. Ms. Quispe stopped, and-

“Wait, stop!” Ben startled at the sound of a click and the door opening. In a second, Carlos was already diving out the door, just out of Jay’s reaching arms. They jumped out, but it was too late. Carlos was nowhere to be seen. 

Jay cursed. “He’s fast, but we can find him if we spread out.”

“He’ll go somewhere familiar, where he has the upper hand,” Mal’s eyes darted to the old Isle buildings, East of the new facilities. “Jay, you get the hideout. Evie, you cover the market. Ben, he probably won’t be in Hell Hall, but I need you to still check. I’ll drop you off on the way to the South docks. Let’s go!” 

Ben had no time to think as he sprinted after Mal. They ran and ran, Mal barely glancing over her shoulder to check that Ben was with her. They wove through the streets, ignoring the occasional passerby. Finally, Mal shouted ‘here!’ and sprinted off, leaving Ben in front of the most poisonous and decrepit old mansion he had ever seen. Husks of dead vines hung over cracked windows, crumbling stone, and paint so yellowed the original color was entirely undetectable. Ben held his breath as he slowly walked up fractured steps to the heavy door. Ben worried that if he breathed too close to it, it would fall and he would be flattened. He stepped back and surveyed the nearby windows, which had just enough glass left around the edges to be unpassable. _Well, here goes nothing._ Ben stepped forward and knocked.

The door was so heavy, the sound of the knocks was completely absorbed. He might as well have knocked on pavement. He was about to call out when he realized that if Carlos was in the house, he’d be alerted to Ben’s presence and know to hide. Ben tried the door and, finding it unlocked, pushed it open. 

The inside of Hell Hall was in stark contrast to the outside. If it wasn’t for the thin layer of dust covering everything, Ben would have assumed a cleaning crew had just been through. The walls were dark, but not dirty; the furniture was old, but well kept. Ben had no idea how Cruella had managed to find the team of workers it would have taken to keep the place as clean as it had been. 

Ben set a tentative foot in front of him. When no booby traps were set off, he padded through the first floor, listening carefully for any sounds. Past the spotless kitchen, he paused outside of a single painted door left ajar. He swore he could hear someone else panting. He held his breath to be certain; the panting continued. Ben reached to grab his phone, nearly dropping it when an anguished scream made his heart clench and his hair stand up. He fumbled to open the group chat, sending a quick ‘ _found him in HH, come quick’._ Ben decided to wait for some backup before he went down. His hero complex wasn’t _that_ big. 

Ben stood watch- well, listen- for two agonizing minutes until Jay burst into the room. Ben jumped; even for all his listening, he had not detected him at all. Mal and Evie followed moments later. Ben pointed at the door; they nodded. He let Jay lead the way, opening the door to reveal a dark spiral stair.

The steps were made of metal grates, reminding Ben of a theatre catwalk. He had to mindfully keep his body turning as he followed Jay slowly down. Once they reached the bottom, Jay stopped abruptly. Ben clenched on the narrow railings, wincing when they nearly cut into his palms. Behind him, Evie nearly stepped on his heel. Ben leaned over to see what Jay was looking at, and his heart leapt up to his throat. 

A single cracked bulb hanging still from the ceiling illuminated a dim circle on the basement floor. The first thing Ben saw was the chains. Four bolts positioned in a square on the floor held down four chains, each attached to a brutal metal cuff. Ben gasped, and that was when he noticed the smell. If metal could rot, it would smell like the air Ben breathed now. In the center of the chains was the source, a pool of fluids. Blood and other substances formed a grotesque collage of many colors, some of it brown and stuck to the concrete, some of it almost fresh, the seeping only recently stilled. In front of it all, a boy crouched quivering on his hands and knees. 

They had found Carlos. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Google searches for this chapter included:  
> -blood on floor  
> -dried blood  
> -basement floor  
> -bolts in concrete  
> -bdsm chain cuffs  
> -dried semen  
> -Peruvian last names  
> -Disney minor villians  
> -Disney servants
> 
> Also, petition to write a spin-off series just about Ms. Quispe; who wants to sign? I wanted to include an ex-isle adult living in Auradon and working. I looked at all the henchmen and servants on the Wiki, but no named characters seemed to fit. Then I spotted "Incan Palace Guards." So, Ms. Quispe is a former Captain of the palace guard who was put on the Isle alongside Yzma and some of her co-workers under the charge of being 'evil henchmen' when the Isle was founded. Now she's free, presenting as her true gender, chauffeuring for the royal house professionally, and dancing in her freetime.  
> I know all of that, but not how this story fits in with canon. Wheeeeeeeeeeee!  
> Whump to come! Likes support Ben's Isle reformation program and comments just make me so happy honestly.


	5. Happily Watching Them Drift Away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Why can't the past just die?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, so uh... I realized I posted chapter four, forgot I posted it, edited chapter four, and then posted it again. Oops. So, yeah, fixed that!

“C-Carlos? Hey, man. Do you… do you remember anything?” Ben, Jay, Evie, and Mal were all frozen in shock at the scene in front of them. Ben could barely speak, but someone had to. 

“This used to be my safe place.” Carlos whispered to the ground. Ben struggled to hear him.

“Before I met Jay and Mal and Evie, before I left the house, I was always sad, but not here. Here, I could sleep and read for hours. Later, I took my friends down here, and we would be like a family, and it was so good. At least… that’s what I thought.”

Ben was afraid to know the answer, but he asked anyway. “What happened?”

Carlos curled further in. Ben was almost glad he couldn't see Carlos’ expression. He didn’t think he could have handled it. 

“We wanted to be free together, more than anything. To be away from our parents and be safe with each other. One day, their wish came true! I was there. Your decree came, and they got to go to Auradon! I was so excited for them. They told me to wait. They said they were coming to get me. They said they would be back soon. I believed them.

“I waited every night. When Cruella came to kill me, I convinced her to let me live because I thought they would be back. When she chained me here, I was just waiting for them. Man after man would come and destroy me. I kept on waiting. She let me out once a day to clean the house and get her food. I’d ask around, but no one had heard anything. One day, it all changed. I was at the docks, and there was a tv, and I saw them with all of their new friends. They said they were saving everyone! I waited. Cruella found out. She stopped letting me out. I waited. More men came. I waited. No one came for me. I only wanted to see them again.”

Ben’s heart broke. “Carlos… I never knew. I’m so sorry.” 

Suddenly, Carlos turned. Ben jumped; the broken boy in front of him now looked furious. “Yeah. Yeah, I bet you are! That’s great!  _ Thanks _ . Good to know someone I met hours ago cares about me more than my friends!” 

From behind Ben, Evie cried. “Carlos, you, you deserve better!” 

Carlos recoiled. 

“Come back to Auradon with us!” Mal knelt before him. “We can help you now! Or, or you’d never have to see us again. You deserve better friends.”

“I don’t want better friends!” Carlos met her eyes. “I wish that none of this had ever happened. I just… I just want it to have not happened. All I’ve ever wanted was to be with you again. Why did you leave me?” The dim light barely illuminated tears running down his cheek. Evie sobbed.

“We thought you were dead! It, we, we missed you so much, Carlos, we wouldn’t ever have left you here if we had known. Thinking about the world without you was too painful, so, so we just, we just didn’t. We were so wrong.”

All was tense. Ben prepared to reach forward and grab Mal. Before he could, Carlos fell on her. She instantly wrapped her arms around him, and the two sobbed into each other. Evie rushed to join them on the floor, and Jay followed. They held each other tightly as they wept. Tears wet Ben’s own cheeks. From the pile, he could barely make out a hoarse voice. 

“Why did you leave me?  _ why did you leave me? _ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there it is! I've started to get a little obsessive over hits and kudos, and my break is almost over, so it is time for the gang to have a good cry and for me to say goodbye (to this story). I still had lots of fun writing it, and am so grateful for every comment and kudos!  
> If you like Monster High and Ever After High, check out my other story, 'The Exchange Program.'  
> Titles are from Steven Universe the Movie, and ch. 5 summary is from Phantom of the Opera.  
> https://youtu.be/74S7EMUAKFs  
> Much love!


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